Byse Workshop Session 6: Localism in the Climate Regime

Thursday, April 2 2026, 3:45-5:15; Hauser Hall 104

In this session, we turn to the climate regime and ask: what are the stakes and epistemic challenges of treating climate change as a “global problem” when its impacts are so unevenly distributed across localities? Institutional innovations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have sought to incorporate the voices of affected communities. Yet these efforts raise critical questions about the forms of engagement they offer and the significance of participation in and of itself. How, moreover, do we assess vulnerability and affectedness, given their varied and geographically dispersed manifestations?
Building on these developments, some scholars argue that climate governance must become more decentralized, localized, and experimental. Is this a promising reimagining of global governance, or does it risk dispersing responsibility? We will also examine how international climate commitments are implemented at the municipal level, considering critiques of a shift from mitigation to adaptation, and of an emerging climate infrastructure that connects well-resourced global cities to private capital while leaving others behind.